The present invention relates to a hierarchical data display method for retrieving and displaying data from a data base, file system, or the like in which a plurality of data items are managed hierarchically, and to a browser system.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a time-series data display method for displaying a plurality of data items that are managed using associated dates, and to an information processing system for realizing the method.
The present invention also relates to an image editing method and system to be implemented in drawing software for handing images or a data base system.
In a file management system or data base system for a computer, a technique of managing data hierarchically is often used to manage numerous data items. In a file system, especially, under almost all operating systems (hereinafter OSs), the whole of the file system is segmented and managed using a plurality of hierarchical directories. As far as recently-released OSs are concerned, it is a matter of common practice to adopt a browser system in which a graphical user interface (hereinafter a GUI) is used to display a hierarchical structure of a file system or the like on a screen, and a pointing device such as a mouse is used to point out intended data, and thus data such as a file is accessed.
In the foregoing known browser system for visualizing a hierarchical structure for a user, a tree display shown in FIG. 18 or a hierarchical list box display shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B is used to express a hierarchical structure.
FIG. 18 shows an example of expressing a hierarchical file system in the form of a tree structure. Directory levels are depicted with icons of folders 101, 103, 105, 108, 110, and 113. Files are depicted with icons of documents 102, 104, 106, 107, 109, 111, 112, and 114. The hierarchical interrelations are thus expressed in the form of a tree structure.
In FIG. 18, reference numeral 101 denotes a root directory. The root directory 101 contains file R-1 102. The root directory 101 subordinates directory A 103, directory B 105, and directory C 108. The directory A 103 contains file A-1 104. The directory B 105 contains file B-1 106 and file B-2 107. The directory C 1-8 contains file C-1 109 and subordinates directory D 110. The directory D 110 contains file D-1 111 and file D-2 112 and subordinates directory E 113. The directory E 113 contains file E-1 114.
As mentioned above, files of all levels are displayed in the form of a tree structure. An intended file can be selected easily.
FIGS. 19A and 19B show an example of a hierarchical list box expressing the same hierarchical file system as the one shown in FIG. 18. FIG. 19A shows a state in which an attempt is made to access a file and directory subordinate to directory C 116. In the drawing, reference numeral 115 denotes a list box for displaying files and directories of the first level. 117 denotes a scroll bar used when the number of files or directories exceeds the number of items that can be displayed. 118 denotes a scroll up button. 119 denotes a scroll down button. 116 denotes directory C.
After directory C 116 is selected from the list box 115, when a button on a pointing device is clicked, the display of the directory C 116 is reversed, and file C-1 and directory D 121 subordinate to the directory C 116 are displayed in a list box 120 for listing files and directories of the second level.
FIG. 19B shows a state in which directory D 121 is selected from the list box 120 by clicking a button on the pointing device. In the drawing, when the directory D 121 is designated by clicking a button on the pointing device, directory E, file D-1, and file D-2 subordinate to the directory D 121 are displayed in a list box 122 for listing files and directories of the third level. Thus, an intended file is accessed by selecting lower levels step by step.
A system for displaying a hierarchical file system using metaphors of folders, such as, the one installed in the OS for the Macintosh trademark of Apple Computer or the OS/2 trademark of IBM has become popular.
When a hierarchical file system is expressed in the form of a tree structure in the same manner as the known hierarchical file system shown in FIG. 18, if the number of files or directories is too large, all icons representing the files or directories cannot be displayed in a screen. A means for scrolling a whole screen is required in order to search for an intended directory or file. This makes it rather hard to locate an intended directory or file. The display of a lower level becomes laterally long. The display of a level containing numerous files and directories becomes vertically long. The whole of a screen cannot often be used effectively for display. A screen must be scrolled more frequently.
As for the browser system using the known list box shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, hierarchical browsing is enabled despite a narrow screen. However, unless a directory is selected, files and directories subordinate to the directory do not appear. It is therefore difficult to grasp the whole hierarchical structure. An intended file cannot be located quickly.
As for the known system using metaphors of folders for expressing a hierarchical structure, what kind of data is contained in a folder cannot be found until the folder is opened. The whole image of a hierarchical structure nested to two or more levels cannot be grasped. Every time a folder is opened, a new window is opened. A window showing an opened folder messes up a screen of a desktop computer. Intended data is liable to be lost.
The foregoing drawbacks also lie in a browser system using a data base in which data is categorized hierarchically and adopting either of the foregoing display methods.
In a file management system or data base system for a computer, a date is used as an important parameter for managing numerous data items. In the file management system, for example, a date of creation of a file or a date of correction thereof is appended automatically as an attribute of the file. In the data base system, a date field is defined in data. A date entered in the field is used to manage the data.
A personnel management data base 30 shown in FIG. 5 will be taken for instance. A date of birth is entered in a date field 31 and used for personnel management.
In schedule table application software (hereinafter, a scheduler), schedules themselves are managed using dates. For example, when the contents of a schedule indicate a conference, document files scheduled to be used at the conference are registered in the form of a data base. It will be able to check what kinds of materials were used at the conference. This is convenient.
For retrieving intended data from a data base that is a set of data items, the foregoing data is used as an important parameter. In the file management system, files are sorted by date of creation or date of correction and then displayed. This enables a user to memorize creation or correction of files and to search for intended data. In the data base system, for example, in a personnel management data base system, retrieval and display in order of date of birth are normally adopted. In the scheduler, a desired relevant data file can be located by checking the contents of schedules by date.
For users, the most typical unit of memory can be said to be a date. A date of creation or correction of a file is memorized vaguely in general. Even if a user forgets a file name, he/she can locate the file by collating his/her memory with a date of a file. The same applies to the scheduler. Desired contents can be retrieved on the basis of a vague memory of a date. In the data base system, when files are retrieved in order, for example, by date of birth, data can be checked orderly.
However, in the known file management system, it cannot be found explicitly whether dates associated with files displayed vertically adjacently in a list are close to or separated from each other. A user must therefore carry out the work of: checking dates; estimating a time interval between each pair of dates whichever the dates are close to or separated from each other; collating his/her memory with a date of a file, and then locating a desired file. FIG. 4 shows an example 20 of a known display of the file management system. As shown in FIG. 4, files contained in a designated directory 21 are displayed in descending order of date. However, a date display column 22 must be checked item by item in order to grasp what data is created at what date.
As for a display of a data base system, when data items are displayed in order of date of birth, even if there may be a difference of one year or ten years in age between a certain person and the next person, the data items concerning the persons are displayed at one and next position orderly. A user therefore must check dates associated with data items numerically, and estimate a difference between each pair of dates. When there are many people of a certain generation but few people of a certain generation, if a user wants to understand an overall trend, time-consuming work is needed. In reality, dates of birth are sorted chronologically and displayed or plotted as a graph in an effort to grasp the overall trend.
There is an increasing demand for a system enabling a user to grasp time intuitively and sensuously.
Recently, what is called catalogue software has made its debut as data base software running in a personal computer. The catalogue software is a data base handling graphics, documents, and images mainly. Fundamentally, a reduced image (hereinafter a “thumbnail image”) is created for each data, and desired data is searched by checking (browsing) the reduced images.
For supplementing retrieval based on browsing, what is called a free keyword is usually appended. The free keyword is a keyboard to which no field is allocated. A keyword to which a field is allocated is specified in a field defined in a relational data base or card type data base. As far as the catalogue software is concerned, retrieval using a free keyword is possible. Desired data is picked up using a result of retrieval in combination with browsing.
A kind of catalogue software putting an emphasis on images may sometimes be called album software. In the album software, as its name assigned in consideration of an album for making a collection of photographs implies, images are mainly stored in a data base. A wanted image is picked up, fundamentally, on the basis of browsing and a supplemental free keyword.
In the case of an album for making a collection of photographs, a user not only inserts photographs but also writes down comments or overlays a sheet of paper shown in FIG. 62 (hereinafter, a “frame”), which reveals any specific part of a photograph and hides the other part thereof, on a photograph. This is a commonly adopted technique for attracting attention to a specific photograph or highlighting an impressive photograph.
For implementing the technique shown in FIG. 62 in album software, very complex operations are needed to cut out an image using a user-specific frame and store a resultant image. FIG. 63 is a flowchart describing the operating procedure. At step S201, application software for drawing graphics (hereinafter drawing software) is activated, and a frame is created. In FIG. 64, reference numeral 901 denotes an example of a frame created. At step S202, an image is read into the drawing software, and superposed on the frame by adjusting the size of the image. In FIG. 64, 902 denotes an example of the image superposed on the frame. At step S203, application software for manipulating or editing an image (hereinafter, photo retouch software) is activated. The image superposed on the frame is fetched into the photo retouch software via a clipboard. Within the drawing software, a frame and image can be handled separately from each other. Once fetched into the photo retouch software, the frame and image are made into one image. At step S204, a portion of the image outside the frame is erased within the photo retouch. Reference numeral 904 in FIG. 64 denotes an example of erasure. At this time, an area designation tool and eraser tool of the photo retouch software are used. 904 in FIG. 64 denotes an example of a resultant corrected image. At step S205, the corrected image is saved as a new image in a file. At step 206, the image is fetched into the album software.
The known procedure of cutting out an image and fetching it into the album software involves activation of several software packages. The procedure is very complex and the work is hard. For carrying out the foregoing operations, a user needs a certain amount of expertise.
Another problem is that a frame and image are made into a single image. When the shape of the frame or a visible portion of an image is wanted to be changed from one portion to another, the procedure described in the flowchart of FIG. 63 must be performed from the beginning. Moreover, images that have not been corrected are usually stored as they are. Two kinds of images; raw images and images cut out in combination with frames are stored separately.
For these reasons, an easier method for creating a frame and producing a cutout image and a flexible method permitting future correction are needed.
It is important that a frequently-used file can be easily located or retrieved from among numerous files. In the example shown in FIG. 18, when a frequently-used file resides at a deep position in a hierarchy or many files and directories are present at the same hierarchical level, the frequently-used file cannot be located easily. Even in the example shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, it is rather hard to retrieve a frequently-used file.
The same applies to a browser system using a data base in which data items are categorized hierarchically.